Posts Tagged ‘using QR codes’
QR Codes on Stormwater Signs
Leaders in Elkhart County, IN recently installed 51 new stormwater signs to highlight local rivers, streams and lakes throughout the county. Each sign also has a QR code on it, which can be scanned with a smart phone. Currently, the QR code leads to a website featuring a “Clean Water Tip of the Week”, but the QR codes on the signs will be used for other educational activities, especially to teach the public about the county’s waterways.
The signs were recently used for a treasure hunt, which took participants to parks, bicycling and walking trails, and boat launches where they could find the stormwater signs. Each sign had a letter and number on it, which hunters used to fill in the blanks to complete the phrase on the treasure hunt entry sheet. Families were encouraged to complete the treasure hunt together.
This is a great example of an inventive use of QR codes. We have many other examples from our customers, and would be glad to share them with you. Maybe you could use them in your business.
QR Code Strategy #3 – Engage Your Users
This is the third in a series of QR code strategy ideas you might use for promoting your business with QR (Quick Response) codes.
This Strategy is Engage Your Users!
In many businesses, especially service or retail businesses, some of the customers are waiting. Like a husband waiting while his wife tries on a dress, or a patient waiting for the nurse to bring them into the doctor, or a customer at a car dealer waiting for the oil change to be finished. All of these people could be engaged in thinking about the business, but they are probably not. They might be reading magazines, or dozing, or checking email.
If you want to engage them, you could use this QR strategy to post QR codes in the waiting room with information that might draw their interest. Every wall or flat space could become a QR code display, or you could have signage. Using the 3 examples above, the husband might like to see a video of “romantic ideas to surprise your wife”, or the patient might like to see biographical information about the doctors in that practice, or the car dealer might want to show a video about the new models coming out soon.
Getting those who are waiting to be mentally engaged with your business can be profitable for you. All you have to do is think about what you can put on the other end of that QR code to draw their attention. The Korean grocery company, Tesco, has captured a large audience of people waiting for subway trains and their business has mushroomed. There isn’t any reason you can’t do something similar in your business.
Here is an example of how Dr. Jay Piatek provides video resources for his clients at the Piatek Institute. They can watch his streaming video from this QR code when they are waiting and it allows them to fill their time in a useful manner, as well as getting them excited about the professional service he offers.
Give us a call at 317-299-5150 if you’d like more information, or more examples of how to use QR codes in your business.
QR Code Strategy #2 – Educate Your Users
This is the second of a three article series about QR codes strategy and how to use them effectively.
This QR Code Strategy is Educate Your Users
This article focuses on ways to educate viewers about your products or services, and ways to change their behavior in interacting with you.
The great benefit of the QR Codes (QRC) is that no typing is required, saving time and avoiding the frustration of an incorrectly-typed address. Of those who scan it, 100% will go to the address where your message is located.Here are a few examples:
QR Code Strategy #1 – Increase Your Message
This is the first in a series of articles about QR code strategy for using QR codes in your business. In the series, we’ll tell you several useful approaches to using QR codes in your print collateral.
The first QR code strategy is Increase Information in Your Message.
Many businesses believe that print advertisements are expensive and difficult to write. The right text for one market segment might be the wrong text for another segment, so how do you know what to write? And how many words can you write in one ad (or on a business card) without being too text heavy? And how will you know the number of people who read that ad so you can judge whether it was worth the money? The effects of advertising expenditures can be hard to measure.
Three Tips for Using QR Codes
Three Tips for Using QR Codes
QR (quick response) codes are gaining in popularity as more and more mobile internet users scan them on their mobile devices; however, many of them are not being used properly. The tips for using QR codes below can help you get better results with your codes and avoid costly mistakes.
Step 1 – Plan the full action cycle before you publish.
- Spend some time thinking through what result you want the codes to achieve. Start by determining a few specific actions you want taken by people when they scan them, such as calling you on the phone, or sending in their email address to get a coupon, or watching a video about your service.
- Next think of something of value to reward them for taking that action. It has to be significant enough (in their mind) to get them to do it.
- Finally think about your internal system’s response to their action. You might send them a coupon, or call them to set up an appointment, or mail them a brochure. You also need to plan for saving details of the interaction so that you can follow up later.
Step 2 – Design the experience for the user.
- Take them to a mobile landing page created specifically to get the result you want. Don’t include anything else on the page that distracts from what you want them to do. Make it simple and understandable – do “this” and you will receive “that.”
- Keep it colorful, engaging and easy to use. Finger-sized buttons with bold text.
- Make it fast. If the page loads slowly, they may not wait and you’ll lose them.
- Use a thank you page or immediate email to verify that they completed the action.
Step 3 – Place the QR code appropriately using these considerations.
- waiting area – the best placement is where people are waiting for something
- size – make it prominent but not overbearing
- safety – do not put it where a person would be endangered by scanning it
- flat spot – do not place it near the fold of a magazine or on a curved surface
- timing – TV commercial viewers need more than 5 seconds to get their phone out
- motivation – with nearby text, explain why they should scan the code
- usage – place it where people expect to find that kind of information
With thorough planning, well thought-out design and proper placement, your QR code promotions should achieve the results you want. These tips for using QR codes should be helpful. QR codes are an excellent tool, but they need to be used correctly to work best.